1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a telephone subscriber service, especially an improved mode of a call waiting (in-call incoming signal notification or catch-phone) service including the sending of a third subscriber""s origination number when a phone is in an off-hook state.
2. Description of the Related Art
Telecommunications devices equipped with an in-call incoming signal notification (CW) function are known. In the in-call incoming signal notification service, a first subscriber receives a specific in-call incoming signal notification tone when the first subscriber who subscribes to this service is on the phone with a second subscriber and a third subscriber calls the first subscriber. When the first subscriber receives a call from a third subscriber, the first subscriber quickly depresses the hook switch and the first subscriber""s line is switched to the third subscriber, while the second subscriber""s line is put on hold. If the first subscriber ignores the in-call incoming signal notification tone then a second in-call incoming signal notification tone is sent again several seconds later. When the first subscriber ignores this second in-call incoming signal notification tone a busy signal is sent to the third subscriber.
Literature disclosing this type of technology includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,133,995, 3,584,156, 3,963,874, 3,997,731, 4,661,975. Also, there is a caller""s number identification (CNID) service to make a notification of information such as another party""s number, as well as sending a in-call incoming signal notification tone to the first subscriber. Literature disclosing this type of technology includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,727,003, 3,787,626, 3,812,296.
Belcore Company""s technology standard TR-TSY-00030 and 00031 might be used for data transmission systems and protocols necessary for realizing this CNID device. In these specs, the use of modem data (frequency shift keying, FSK) is required to transmit an identification signal from the central telephone exchange to the subscriber""s device, during the silent period between a first call signal and a second call signal.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4873719 is another patent relating to caller""s number identification. In this patent, CNID is issued individually. This problem is resolved by the exclusive control of the sending of the caller""s identification number being authorized by the receiver. This patent uses the conventional in-call incoming signal notification tone and sends the caller identification information using a dual tone multi frequency data signal while the called party""s [phone] is off the hook.
In telephone service, the line enters a busy state when the hook switch is off hook and the subscriber can talk with another party through the earphone and microphone. In the CALLER ID on CALL WAITING service, however, a two tone signal informs [the subscriber] of an incoming call from a third party through the earphone. Also, provisions are made to detect this two tone signal with a two tone detection circuit, process [this] with a microcomputer, and return a signal from the DTMF generator, in order for the reception of data such as a third party""s name and telephone number.
However, it is undeniable that there is some chance of a signal having the same frequency components as this two tone [sic] being intermixed. The voice of the other party, who is the second party, from the telephone line and the voice of one""s own voice, as the first party, from the mike are no exception. For this reason, one must also consider that the two tone detection circuit works in error due to these voices and mistakenly determines that a signal to notify of an incoming call from a third party has been received.
The present invention has the purpose of realizing an infallible in-call incoming signal notification incoming signal notification service with this erroneous action eliminated to the extent possible.
The telecommunications device equipped with an in-call incoming signal notification function relating to the present invention is equipped with the following: a microphone to transmit voice signals to a line; an earphone to receive voice signals from the line and convert them to voice; an in-call incoming signal notification signal sampler to sample this signal when an in-call incoming signal notification signal is included in the line; a response signal emitter to send a response signal for the in-call incoming signal notification signal to the line; a microphone signal detector to detect whether the transmitter has sent voice signals to the line; an earphone signal detector to detect whether the earphone has received voice signals from the line; and a control portion to analyze the sampled signal from the in-call incoming signal notification signal sampler based on the detected signals of the microphone signal detector and the earphone signal detector and determine the presence of the in-call incoming signal notification signal, as well as causing the response signal emitter to send a response signal when it is determined that an in-call incoming signal notification signal is present and to acquire information from the line.
In the telecommunications device equipped with an in-call incoming signal notification function relating to the present invention, the control portion determines that there is no in-call incoming signal notification signal regardless of the sampled signal of the in-call incoming signal notification signal sampler, when the microphone signal detector detects voice signals and the earphone signal detector does not detect voice signals, and determines that there is an in-call incoming signal notification signal when both the microphone signal detector and the earphone signal detector do not detect voice signals and the sampled signal of the in-call incoming signal notification signal sampler is output.
The method for detecting in-call incoming signal notification relating to the present invention is a method for detecting in-call incoming signal notification for the telecommunications device of the first subscriber to attain identification information of a third subscriber when a first subscriber is talking with a second subscriber via an converter comprising: a process to sample this signal when an in-call incoming signal notification signal is included in a line; a process to detect whether a microphone sent a voice signal to a line; a process to detect whether an earphone received a voice signal from the line; a process to analyze the sampled signal sampled in the process for extracting based on the detection results of the process for detecting microphone signals and the process for detecting earphone signals and to determine whether an in-call incoming signal notification signal is present; a process to send a response signal for the in-call incoming signal notification signal to the line when it was determined that the in-call incoming signal notification signal is present; and a process to acquire information from the line.
The telecommunications device equipped with an in-call incoming signal notification function relating to the present invention is equipped with the following: a microphone to transmit voice signals to a line; an earphone to receive voice signals from the line and convert them to voice; an in-call incoming signal notification signal sampler to sample this signal when an in-call incoming signal notification signal is included in the line; a response signal emitter to send a response signal for the in-call incoming signal notification signal to the line; and a control portion to determine that an in-call incoming signal notification signal is present when the in-call incoming signal notification signal sampler outputs the sampled signal multiple times within a prescribed period of time, to cause the response signal emitter to send a response signal, and to acquire information from the line.
The method for detecting in-call incoming signal notification relating to the present invention is a method for detecting in-call incoming signal notification for the telecommunications device of the first subscriber to attain identification information of a third subscriber when a first subscriber is talking with a second subscriber via an converter comprising: a process to sample this signal when an in-call incoming signal notification signal is included in a line; a process to determine whether an in-call incoming signal notification signal is present when the in-call incoming signal notification signal is sampled multiple times within a prescribed time period; a process to send a response signal for the in-call incoming signal notification signal to the line when it was determined that the in-call incoming signal notification signal is present; and a process to acquire information from the line.
The telecommunications device equipped with the in-call incoming signal notification function relating to the present invention is equipped with the following: a microphone to send voice signals to a line; an earphone to receive voice signals from the line and convert them to voice; an in-call incoming signal notification signal sampler to sample this signal when an in-call incoming signal notification signal is included in the line; a response signal emitter to send a response signal for the in-call incoming signal notification signal to the line; and a control portion to measure the duration of the sampled signal of the in-call incoming signal notification signal sampler, to determine that an in-call incoming signal notification signal is present when this is greater than or equal to than a prescribed time t1, less than or equal to a prescribed time t2 and cause the response signal emitter to send a response signal, and to acquire information.
The telecommunications device equipped with the in-call incoming signal notification function relating to the present invention is equipped with a control portion which, when the duration of the sampled signal is less than the prescribed time t1 or greater than the prescribed time t2 and the response signal is not sent, thereafter measures the duration of the sampled signal attained once more, determines that an in-call incoming signal notification signal is present, when this is greater than or equal to a prescribed time ta, less than or equal to a prescribed time tb (ta less than t1, t2 less than tb), causes the response signal emitter to send a response signal, and acquires information.
In the telecommunications device equipped with the in-call incoming signal notification function relating to the present invention, the first prescribed time t1 is 25 ms and the second prescribed time t2 is 55 ms.
In the telecommunications device equipped with the in-call incoming signal notification function relating to the present invention, the in-call incoming signal notification signal sampler comprises a filter to sample the in-call incoming signal notification signal, an integrating circuit to integrate the output of the filter, and a comparator to convert the output of the integrating circuit to a binary signal based on predetermined conditions; the integrating circuit has a time constant which is longer than the sampling interval for the control portion to measure the duration of the sampling signal and shorter than the duration of the in-call incoming signal notification signal.
In the telecommunications device equipped with the in-call incoming signal notification function relating to the present invention, the integrating circuit has a time constant roughly the same as the sampling interval, for example.
The method for detecting in-call incoming signal notification relating to the present invention is a method for detecting in-call incoming signal notification for the telecommunications device of the first subscriber to attain identification information of a third subscriber when a first subscriber is talking with a second subscriber via an converter comprising: a process to sample this signal when an in-call incoming signal notification signal is included in a line; a process to measure the duration of the sampling signal of the in-call incoming signal notification signal sampler and determine that an in-call incoming signal notification signal is present when this is greater than or equal to a prescribed time t1, less than or equal to a prescribed time t2; a process to send a response signal for the in-call incoming signal notification signal to the line when it was determined that the in-call incoming signal notification signal is present; and a process to acquire information from the line.